*This content was translated by AI.
"Today, I feel like I have become the king of Vietnamese football."
Coach Kim Sang-sik of the Vietnam national football team, who has returned to the summit of the 'Southeast Asian Cup,' shared his overwhelming reflections on the victory.
Vietnamese media Tan Dien reported on the 27th (Korea time) that "Coach Kim Sang-sik emphasized that he and the Vietnam national team made great efforts to win four titles across various representative teams over the past two years."
Under Coach Kim Sang-sik, Vietnam drew 2-2 in the second leg of the 2026 ASEAN Cup final at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam, on the 26th.
Having secured a decisive 2-0 victory in the first leg of the final held away against Thailand on the 22nd, Vietnam defeated their 'rival' Thailand with an aggregate score of 4-2 across both legs and lifted the championship trophy.
The path to victory was not easy. In the second leg of the final, Vietnam allowed Thailand to take the lead twice and wavered. However, through intense pressure, they forced two own goals from the opponent to equalize. Vietnam maintained their two-goal advantage secured in the first leg until the end and reclaimed the summit as the defending champion.
Coach Kim reached the top for the first time after taking charge of Vietnam in the 2024 tournament. With this victory, he led Vietnam to back-to-back ASEAN Cup titles for the first time in the country's football history.
He also set another record. By drawing with Thailand, Vietnam extended their unbeaten streak in A-match games to 26 consecutive matches (22 wins, 4 draws).
This is already the fourth trophy lifted by Coach Kim and Vietnamese football over the past two years. While simultaneously coaching both the Vietnam senior national team and the U-23 representative team, Coach Kim began with the 2024 ASEAN Cup title, followed by the AFF U-23 Championship in July last year and the men's football tournament at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in December of the same year.
With this additional victory in the 2026 ASEAN Cup, he has led various representative teams to the summit four times within just two years.
Tan Dien highlighted that "Vietnam allowed Thailand to take the lead twice in the second leg of the final. However, Coach Kim's players worked hard to create two equalizing goals through breathless pressure," and noted that "the Vietnam national team has secured their fourth ASEAN Cup title in history."
After the match, Coach Kim expressed his joy: "First, I want to congratulate the Vietnam national team. This victory is a result created by all of us, from the players to the fans."
He continued, "The fans supported us with great passion. The players did their best to repay that support. Sometimes they were scolded by the coaching staff and fell short of expectations, but they kept striving to overcome these challenges. They followed the tactics, brought joy to the fans, and played for Vietnam."
In the first half, the performance Coach Kim had hoped for did not materialize. Entering the second leg with a two-goal lead from the first match, Vietnam focused more on defense than offense but ended up ceding control to Thailand.
Coach Kim reflected, "In the first half, since we were leading 2-0 from the first leg, we concentrated more on defense than offense. Difficult situations arose, and the game flow was not smooth."
Ultimately, changes were made at halftime. Coach Kim's tactical adjustments proved effective. He stated, "I instructed a new tactic at halftime, and shortly after the start of the second half, we scored an equalizing goal. I am grateful that the players did not give up and gave their all until the end to achieve this result."
Once the victory was finally confirmed, Coach Kim's tension eased. He revealed, "When the match ended, I was so exhausted that I collapsed. I poured everything into the game, and at that moment, I had no strength left."
Reflecting on the past two years, he showed strong pride. Coach Kim said, "I don't have grand dreams for myself. We won four titles in the past two years. That is my pride and the pride of Vietnamese football."
He added, "Now I want to fully enjoy this joy. I want everyone to happily share this moment together."
This victory also held another meaning for Coach Kim. While the previous three titles were all secured outside Vietnam, this time he lifted the trophy in front of home fans for the first time.
Experiencing his first championship win at home, Coach Kim made a lighthearted joke to Vietnamese fans. He said, "I think fans are now going out into the streets to celebrate the victory," and added with a smile, "I'm not sure how Woo Ri (CEO) team will be able to return to the hotel later."
Coach Kim also shared an anecdote from his meeting with President Lee Jae-myung, who visited Vietnam in April.
Coach Kim stated, "President Lee Jae-myung said, 'In Vietnam, football is the king of sports, and Coach Kim Sang-sik is exactly the king of this sport.'"
He then remarked, "As President Oh Neul-eun (President) said, I really feel like I have become a 'king'."
However, he also made it clear that he would not remain intoxicated by the joy of victory forever. Coach Kim emphasized, "For today only, I will fully enjoy this feeling of becoming a 'king' with the players. Starting tomorrow, I will strive even harder for the development of Vietnamese football."
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*This content was translated by AI.
